Means for driving and cleaning hollow piles and the like



April 5, 1932,. I w n- 1,852,096

MEANS FOR DRIVING AND CLEANING HOLLOW FILES AND THE LIKE Filed May 1, 1929 III; ii 14 v M 16 ii' i. I: Ii 1; 17 :i H

l i\\\\ ii? TF1 KLEJT I '-J :1 I: i H v ii p i 1 l! 5% lNVENTOg- Patented Apr. 5, 1932 UNETED ST LAZARUS WHITE, or'nnw yomgiivl Y.

Application filed May 1,

This invention relates to improvements in devices or arrangements for simultaneously driving and cleaning out a hollow pile or the like.

In certain pile driving operations, the piles are in the form of metal cylinders or pipes and usually are driven in sections, and, as the pile is driven the pile :sections have to be cleaned out and then filled with cement. In the usual way of driving these piles, the pile section is driven hydraulically, or in any other suitable manner, and the section is cleaned out. [he second section is then superposed on the first section, driven, and the lower section cleaned out, etc., the pile driving mechanism being moved out of the way after each section is driven to permit the cleaning out of the sections.

It is the especial object of the present invention to produce an arrangement whereby the pile sections may be simultaneously flushed or jetted and pumped out to clean them, this operation taking place while the pile is being driven, thus shortening the time necessary for setting the pile.

A further object of the invention is to produce an arrangement of simple form and which can be easily operated to perform its required functions.

With these and other objects not specifically referred to in view, the invention consists in certain novel parts, arrangements and combination which will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel features pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

Referring to the drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of an arrangement embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a detail plan view, partly in section, on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring to these drawings, the pile to be driven is a hollow cylinder 1 of steel or other suitable metal, and may be of any desired or convenient length. This cylinder is driven by a suitable driving mechanism which, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, is a hydraulic mechanism, and this hydraulic mechanism is preferably inverted as de- 1'929. Seria IfIfI o. 359,593. W

scribed in my copending application Ser. No. 359,592,-filed' May 1, 1929, such arrangement having been. found to have certain -advantages not necessary to set forth here. As shown, this mechanismv includes a hydraulic press comprising a cylinder2 suspended from an abutment'plate 8 which, in turn, is attached to a thrust member, shown as a beam 4. Supported in this cylinder 2, so as to have a downward movement, is a-piston 5, and means are provided for retracting the piston to permit a pile section to be quickly and easily placed in position, these means, as

shown, being a rack 6 and an operating pinion 7. Fluid pressure is supplied behind the piston by means of a pipe 8, from asuit able source of supply,- as a hydraulic pump or accumulator (not shown) through a pipe 9 controlled by a valve 10.

The piston of the press bears against a driving plate 11, placed on top of the pile. In accordance with this invention, this driving plate is so arranged that suitable piping may be passed into the pile, so that the pile may be jetted or flushed and at the same time cleaned out; the arrangement being such that this cleaning of the pile does not interfere with the pile driving mechanism. While various expedients to efiect this may be made, that shown is a simple and convenient one.

As illustrated, the driving plate 11 is provid- I ed with a side recess or cut-out 13 of sufficient dimensions to permit of the passing therethrough of a pipe 14 connected with a suitable source of water supply, and a suction pipe 15 which is connected to a pump, indicated at 16, and which acts to suck out and remove the dirt from the pile, this pump delivering, if desired, through a pipe 17 to a settling tank, as indicated at 18. It will be seen that, with this arrangement, the pile may be cleaned out as it is driven, it being understood, of course, that the flexible pipes 14, 15 are of suflicient length to reach to the bottom of the lowest pile section. The pile may thus be thoroughly cleaned out without interference with the driving of the pile sections, and a considerable saving in time and labor is, therefore, efiected by this novel arrangement.

While the arrangement shown and the use of the inverted ram is preferred, it will be in the appended claims.

understood that other driving means may be employed and other changes made in the specific form and arrangement of the parts without departing from the invention, as defined No claims are made in this application to the construction and arrangement of the hydraulic ram, such claims being made in my copending application above referred to.

What is claimed is: V 1. In anarrangement for driving a hollow pile or the like, the combination of an inverted hydraulic ram, and a drivingplate above the pile with which the ram'eng'ages .to drive the pile and having an opening, a flushing pipe and a suction pipe 7 passing through the opening and operable to flush and pumpout the pile as it is driven. V V 2. In an arrangement for driving a hollow pile or the like, the combination of a hydraulic ram and a driving plate above the pile and having an opening for'the reception of flushing and "suction means for cleaning out the pile as it is driven. 7

In testimony whereof, I havehereunto set my hand. LAZARUS ,WHITE. 

